1 Corinthians 13 Study Guide (LOVE Series)

Corinth: The City, The Church, the Letter

THE CITY OF CORINTH

In 44 BC, Julius Caesar refounded Corinth as a Roman colony. Its location on a strategic isthmus made it a financial hub of the ancient world. Much trade passed through Corinth. It became wealthy and cosmopolitan. Corinth's size was about 2.5 square miles. When the gospel was preached there, Corinth's population was ethnically and religiously diverse: cults to ancient deities, mystery religions, and a Jewish community (Acts 18:1-4). As often noted, Corinth had a reputation for immorality in the ancient world.

THE CHURCH OF CORINTH

Paul came to the city around the year AD 50. Opposition forced Paul to leave the synagogue; but several people became believers in Jesus (Acts 18:8). The Christian community met in houses. Many Corinthians (Jews and Gentiles), were baptized into the faith.

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

Paul confronted the problem of sexual immorality within the Christian community; for example, the incest between a man and his stepmother (1 Corinthians 5:1-13; 6:9-20). Paul called for holiness, explaining that a Christian's body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.

Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians regarding meat offered to idols (1 Corinthians 8:12; 10:25) 15) and the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15). Paul also gave counsel on spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1-14:40), especially on the greatest gift—human love grounded in God's love.

               

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 Study Guide Questions

Sermon Title: “Nothing without Love”

Sermon Date: February 2, 2014

1 Corinthians 13:1–3

1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1.      Verse three tells you that neither giving away all you own or being martyred (burned) would produce any real benefit if not done out of love for Christ and his Bride (the church). And the same thing is said about exercising great gifts, such as tongues, prophecy, knowledge and faith.

·         How is the Holy Spirit using this text to shake you up and challenge you?

·         What are you going to do about it?

2.      Throughout this epistle, Paul exposes the root cause for the Corinthians’ abuse of spiritual gifts: their the failure to love like Christ.

·         Why do those of us in Christ still seem to find it so difficult to be loving? What is wrong with us?

·         How can we apply the gospel in our lives to help each other change this sinful tendency?

3.      Recount an example in your own life where you have experienced some kind of failure due to your own personal lack of love …

·         What did the Lord teach you through that?

·         How did that experience change the way you think and act now?

1 Corinthians 13:4-6 Study Guide

Sermon Title: “LOVE IS …”

Sermon Date: February 09, 2014

Sermon Text: 1 Corinthians 13:4–6

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant

5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;

6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1.      DISCUSS HOW THE FOLLOWING CHARACTERISTICS OF LOVE ARE IN LINE WITH THE GOSPEL:

·         PATIENT

·         KIND

·         REJOICES WITH THE TRUTH

·         Are you allowing the Spirit to cultivate these characteristics in your life? Please explain.

·         What about your life currently led you to answer in the way you did? Be honest and specific!

2.      DISCUSS HOW THE FOLLOWING CHARACTERISTICS ARE OUT OF STEP WITH THE GOSPEL:

·         ENVIOUS

·         BOASTFUL

·         ARROGANT

·         RUDE

·         INSIST ON OWN WAY

·         IRRITABLE

·         RESENTFUL

·         REJOICE AT WRONGDOING

As you think on these, get at the root reasons these characteristics are contrary to Christ - and sinful.

·         How can you kill these traits in your own heart?

·         How did Jesus display the opposite of these characteristics in his life, death, resurrection and ministry?

1 Corinthians 13:4-6 Study Guide
PART 2

Sermon Title: “LOVE IS NOT …”
Sermon Date: February 16, 2014
Sermon Text: 1 Corinthians 13:4–6

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant

5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;

6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1.      Look at these verse very carefully (if in a group setting, take a few minutes of quiet meditation before beginning the discussion). Now, reflect on your understanding of the concept of love … is it a biblical understanding? How do you know?

2.      Is your definition rooted in Scripture or is it more influenced by other factors? If so, what or who? How do you discern this?

3.      How important is love (love as defined by God) to your life? To the life of your church?

4.      Think on what the 1 Corinthians 13 has to say about love. How can we renew our mind to think of love in the same way the Trinity thinks of love? Remember, the Triune God defines and is love!

1 Corinthians 13:7 Study Guide

Sermon Title: “THE MOST EXCELLENT WAY”

Sermon Date: February 23, 2014

Sermon Text: 1 Corinthians 13:7

7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1.      John Calvin commented on 13:7 with these words: “This, then, is the most excellent way, when love is the regulating principle of all our actions.”

·         What do you think Calvin meant by love being the regulating principle of our behavior?

·         Is this truly a habit of your heart? Why or why not?

2.      Please give an example of a real life situation which has happened (or even could happen) in which this principle (the primacy of love) can be illustrated practically?

Speak frankly about the difference between how things have turned out when you have followed this most excellent way of allowing love to dominate your actions versus when you have not done so …

3.      Calvin also said this (in relation to this verse):

“…we are naturally too much devoted to self, this vice renders us morose and peevish. The effect is, that every one wishes that others should carry him upon their shoulders, but refuses for his part to assist others. The remedy for this disease is love, which makes us subject to our brethren, and teaches us to apply our shoulders to their burdens. (Galatians 6:2.)”

How did and does Jesus Christ exemplify this principle of bearing and enduring all things? To put it another way: how does Jesus exemplify the most excellent way found in 1 Corinthians 13:7; that of having all of our attitudes and actions be regulated according to the rule of love?

Why should this truth about Jesus drive us to worship, follow, obey and love him even more?

1 Corinthians 13:8-13 Study Guide

Sermon Title: “Forever Love”

Sermon Date: March 2, 2014

Sermon Text: 1 Corinthians 13:8-13

1 Corinthians 13:8–13

8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. 13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1.      Survey 1 Corinthians 13:8-13 as a whole. What does this passage have to do with the gospel? With Jesus Christ? How does it point towards Jesus and the good news about him?

GROUPS EXERCISE

2.      1 Corinthians 13:8 reminds us that love outlasts all. Let’s look at a few relevant passages on love’s permanence.

·         If in a small group setting, split into groups of 3-5, with some groups taking 1 Peter 4:8 and others being assigned 1 John 4:16. The groups will then do a brief mini-study (7-9 minutes) on these two passages and then elaborate on the meaning and basic application in their own words.

·         Take 10 minutes or so for the mini-groups to share and discuss with the larger group.

OPTIONAL EXERCISE:

3.      Discuss, as a group, this statement on 1 Corinthians 13:13 by Dr. John MacArthur:

“The objects of faith and hope will be fulfilled and perfectly realized in heaven, but love, the God-like virtue, is everlasting (cf. 1 John 4:8). Heaven will be the place for the expression of nothing but perfect love toward God and each other.”

Especially consider: what does this mean for how we should live right now? How does a passage like this make a difference in your daily life? How does its future relevance relate and matter to us now?

Episode #172: Liberal Christianity | Backpack Radio Reflection

I used to tell people—back in the roaring nineties—that I was a liberal with conservative values. I mainly said this because I was a card-carrying member of a bunch of hippie-esque/pre-vegan (we really weren’t talking gluten or green smoothies just yet)/human rights-promoting/vigil-holding organizations, AND I didn’t want anyone to think I was a racist or uncool. Plus, I lived in New York. Being a Christian? Uncool.  Being a conservative Christian? Really uncool.

Even though it’s painful to say it, I think Pastor Vermon said it right when he noted the cultural trend is to be embarrassed by the Bible. I’ll just be honest: I was embarrassed by the Bible. I’m sure I’d couch it in pretty ways: “It’s not Christianity that I have a problem with; it’s Christians.”

Excuses, excuses. (Though sometimes Christians still freak me out.)

The problem has more to do with the authority of Scripture, something this radio show did a good job of affirming. While I think other shows have dealt with similar themes, it warrants repetition. Much depends on how one views the Bible. Is it the inspired Word of God, or is it of human inspiration? Is it inspiring, but not inspired? Basically, when one is thinking of liberal Christianity versus orthodox Christianity, one is identifying a position on the Bible: it is either a human testament or it is divine revelation.

So what about this embarrassment issue? I guess it has to be identified for what it was: cowardly. In essence, I think, we are ultimately called to define our worldviews, to come clean with our convictions, to take a stand. It might have been Vermon again, but one of the Backpack guys pointed out that Liberal Christianity offers something “culturally palpable” at the expense of something intellectually substantive. Do I have this right? I think that’s true. We choose between the culturally palpable or the intellectually substantive. Say it one more time.

In other words, there comes this time—it’s not always an easy time—when you’ve gotta let your yes be yes, and your no be no. It sounds harsh, but liberal Christianity may allow “embarrassed” types to have their cake and eat it too, so to speak, by allowing for a flimsy or wishy-washy intellectual life. One doesn’t have to think too hard. One doesn’t need to really bother with thinking about creationism or gender roles or other tough subjects. One gets to say things like, “There is a God, but he doesn’t really . . .” Get involved in our day-to-day lives, interfere in our sex lives, etc. Noah’s Ark? How fun was that? What a great idea for decorating our baby nurseries: animals with a little catastrophic flooding that wiped out mankind! Good times! Liberal Christianity is more culturally palpable, indeed. It is not, however, intellectually demanding. It does not require much consistency.

Speaking for myself, it did come down to the rigor thing. Liberal Christianity, it seemed, gave me a flimsy God. He wasn’t really omnipotent or omnipresent. He didn’t really know what was going on. Yet he was called God. The intellectual dissonance was unsettling.  I found it tough to live with the theological dissonance. I had to give up the “I’m a liberal with conservative values” routine. I’d rather have to work on how God views gender, how we should think about origins, etc.

It isn’t easy, I admit it. I struggle with some of this stuff. I’m pretty good on creationism. And I don’t really want the God of Deism. But what’s this headship business? What does the Bible say about gender? Are you kidding me?

The bottom line is that we’re rational beings. We just can’t live any other way.

Jennifer Bell is mostly a writer, but she's also an English teacher. The author of two books of fiction, she lives with her husband and two kids in Phoenix.